Agreement: Eased the 24 November deadline for a final agreement following the St Andrews talks.

Instead, Sinn Fein and the DUP must merely indicate who they might nominate as First and Deputy First Minister.

The deadline for devolution is now March 26, 2007, and fresh assembly elections have been set for March 7.

The government then expects Sinn Fein and the DUP to nominate ministers in preparation for March 26 devolution - without which the assembly will be dissolved.

Pitfalls: The Independent Monitoring Commission report on paramilitary activity, due to be published in January, will have to give the IRA a clean bill of health if there is to be unionist confidence to move forward.

Policing: The government has legislated for the devolution of policing and justice but is concerned by DUP comments that it cannot happen for many years. The government insists MI5 must have a role in intelligence gathering, but has not provided the accountability sought by Sinn Fein and SDLP.

Agreement: Anxious for a deal, but has complained that the St Andrew's Agreement entrenches sectarianism because of enforced coalition government and voting patterns based on unionist and nationalist block votes.

It is upset at not being invited to the Programme for Government Committee.

Policing: Supports the view that Sinn Fein must sign up to policing as the price of power-sharing.